Concrete block molding machine



A. KlSSAM CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed May 24, 1946 INVENTOR.

A Memig'dsscwz/ Aug 2, A, AM

CONCRETE BLOCK MOLDING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 24, 1945 INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 2, 1949 SHEA-YES @FFEEE 2,477,753" GONGREDEBEOGK MQIFDINGiSMAfiIIINE. v

AlIn Kissam, Orlando, ma.

Apnfication MawM, 1946;1Serial-IN'oa671926 37. Claims. 17.

Thiainvention relates-e tona-pparatuss for: ing; concrete blocks, and 1-. more partieularl-sc to: a; novel:imeanssforcmaking thematrue irriailzdimene sionss.

Onefault; inpresentedayyblocle making; prace 5' tioe, especiallyyirr :machinesoofithe? vibrator; type; isrthatithe lower parboitheeblook isemorezcome pact orrof greater densityrthaarzthes.uppen'ponetiorn. This; oftenvcausessblocks to be: ofi uneven height andathescornerscterrdatdsag'rbadlys- It azlso: oftem happens; that the: degree. of? compactness: orrdensity is not :uhiformly thewsame throughout the: block; 1 and: when: the: strippers means: is put in; operation;.. it initiallys develops; the maximumpressure: of its zst'roke" due: to: static :irrertiaacausedt bar: the greerr block: frictionaliw adheringrto: the; sides: of theemold. This :initial resistancesof'i the bloclc.totstrippenpressurercausesshortening ofits vertical; dimensiom slightly before it.- begins to. move: out of: the? mold: thus resulting: in block-s5 of unequal.;height; Heretofore,-. with: anview to' overcoming-runs: difficulty; it has=:been theaipractieereitherzto t-luse :arhandipmesser: or azpnwer head presser ofzsomesortz 0112-17013: of the: moixll'fcontentsg' but .eitiierrofzthesc: methodsmslowudown the block making? operation; .an'dzdoznot always correct the' fault.

Accordingly; .azprimary. object :of i theinvention: issto prov i(le -means;forrmakingsthe block-\true-tw all. dimensions; particularly .itswertica} dimension; 3O irrespective: of". the:- character. of thew miicror dif ference incompactnesssor: densityz. That is=to* say; it is propos'ed to provider-a mold box slightly: deeper-J than that: whicht would be required by theusual iprocedure; and also em'ploying: instru With,..the foregoing andsoth-er objects il'hViEWV? which zwilllmore readily appearhaszthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred: practicalembodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawingsiimwhiohi Figure '1 is; aadiagrammaticrsideelevation of: a? concrete block making machine-having the :pres.- entiirnnrovements: applied thereto; the pal1etb'e ing; inrth e bottome :ofrthe mold :boX:

Frigurevzis azfrontiendelevation of the apparatusvshown imFigure: 1;.

Figure: 3 is.- a-- detail verticailsectional view through: the mold bozo-with the strippershownimthecsl-ightiy:Elevated-position: to: partially push thesbloclciout of the moid and'into 'thevhopper:

Figure-4 issa vieww similarto FfgurerS illuse tratingvthevstripperr leverrelevated' the predetermined distance andtheshopper movedirearwardlintoxcutqofi thestop'of: the.:bloclc;

FigurerS is a-rviewi similar-Ito Figuree showing the; properr'dimensiona-l bl-oclcfullyprnjected out?- of.:: the :Inold and: ready; to: be: lifted:- out on 1 the. pallet.

Similar reference? characters: designate correespending;partsathroughont':the;.'several figures; ofi thewdraxwing-s.

A concretexbioclcamaking machine of: conven tionazhtype isrdesignatedras: A in'Figure 1 and: consists: generally of; a mold box. B contain-ing cores: 6, capable: of; vibration: by. an" appropriate vibration-r producing; mechanismiD, a: motor: EL. andi a ,leverrE;-forroperating; therstripper means Sr. ThezmoldiboxaBfis esupplied with zcementitious: materialEby;the:s1idable:hopper:G.-

ThezleveriFk comprises'aatihandlei I and an an giularly. disposednliftingr arm 2 :carriedrby a shaft 3ipjvotaliy supportedr on .the framework.-- of: the machine. 1 A second: liftingarm- 2 is mountedzon the: oppositea endi otz shaft? 3-; Therlifting arms: 23 arez'adaptedt to engage-'=the:ro1-1ers 4 carried by shaft: isofi'thmstripperrmeans which includes "the upwardly: directed ,armssfi atoppositeends ofrthe shafitiandiadapted toractuaterthepallet Tin the: bottom of the mold box B, and which pallet ports the block to be formed.

Underr ordinary; circumstances; the: formed block isa strippedgi frlomr thee-mold by rocking the levemE- omits shaft-.3; the stripping: action being.

aacontinuouszstroke imparted 'b-yythe operator to completely. liftrtlre rblockz out of r the: mold. This practice:.howevernhaszther disadvantage heretofore pointedzonttandraint orderito; remedy theobjectionsu: recited, the distinctive feature of the presentiinvention:resides inmeans for imparting a1 definite:- measureds preliminary stroke to the stripper lever:

Accordihgztmthe; embodiment ofthe-invention shown-imthe'drawing; thepresent iIIVBIItZiOIIfCOHI' prisese awoIrti'o'l: lever: I (If medially; pivoted as. at: II to the frame of the machine below the shaft 3 for the stripper lever F. The forward end of the lever I0 is provided with a roller l2 which engages the underside of one arm 2 of the stripper lever while the rear end of the lever I is provided with a foot engaging portion l3. When the lever F is in the at rest position shown in Figure 1 and the mold box B contains a formed block, the operator will first rock the lever Ill by foot pressure on the portion l3 thereof and thus move the roller l2 upwardly against the arm 2 until said lever strikes or engages the stop M on the machine frame. This limited movement of the lever Ill will have the effect of lifting the stripper lever F a definite and predetermined distance for the initial part of its stroke. Thus, it would be apparent that the block will be lifted out of the mold by a predetermined distance which will be the same for all blocks made by the machine.

Having described the general mechanical features of the invention, reference will now be made to the cycle of operation.

The stripper means including the pallet I is lowered to the bottom of the mold box B, and the hopper G containing the charge of cementitious material is moved over the mold box and the latter filled with the mix, the hopper helping to guide the material therein. The compacting means is then put in operation. Such compacting means in the present case is a vibrating pair of cores and the concrete is compacted within the mold box. After the vibrating means has been operated for the desired length of time, it is stopped and the operator applies foot pressure at I3 to the lever l0 until it comes in contact with the stop pin it, thereby moving the arm 2 of the lever F upwardly a definite distance. The effect of operating the lever l0, and in turn the stripper lever F for a measured distance is to raise the stripper means, including the pallet, a short distance, thereby elevating the block a predetermined distance upwardly through the mold box so that the upper portion of the block remains in the hopper G. At this point the hopper G is pushed rearwardly to clear the mold box opening thereby removing the portion of the block projecting above the mold box and retaining it on the table G and within the hopper G so that the cut off portion may become a part of the next charge. During this phase of the procedure, the operator maintains foot pressure at [3 on lever I0 and then the handle I of the stripper lever F is operated (Figure 5) to complete its upward stroke to remove the block and pallet from the mold. The block on the pallet is then removed from the machine. This cycle of operation is repeated for each block, and as will be apparent from the description, assures blocks of uniform height.

I claim:

1. A concrete block making machine, comprising, in combination, a mold box, vibration producing mechanism for compacting the concrete in the mold box to increase its density, a feed hopper slidably mounted above the mold box and movable from a position in registry therewith to a rearward position, a pallet for supporting the embryo block in the mold box, and means for stripping the block from the mold box, said means including, a rockable stripper lever and cooperating arm means below the pallet and on said lever whereby when the latter is moved in one direction the pallet may be lifted in the mold box, and a rockable control lever having one end ported in the frame, vibration producing means for compacting concrete in the mold box to increase its density, a feeding hopper slidably mounted on the frame and movable from a position to supply the mold box with a concrete mixture to a position rearward of the mold box, a pallet'in the mold box, arm means below the pallet, a stripper lever pivoted to the frame, lifting arm means rigid with the stripper lever and disposed substantially at right angles thereto and adapted for engagement with said arm means below the pallet, and a control lever medially pivoted to the frame beneath said lifting arm means of the stripper lever, said control lever having foot engaging means at one end and lifting arm engaging means at the other end, whereby, when the said control lever is foot depressed, the lifting arm means will be moved for a predetermined initial portion of the stroke of the stripper lever to elevate the contents of the mold box into the mouth of the hopper, whereby, when the latter is moved rearwardly, the upper portion of the block is cut off prior to manipulating the stripper lever thereto its full stroke to lift the decapitated block from the mold.

3. In a concrete block making machine, a frame, a mold box supported in the frame, a feed hopper slidably supported in the frame above the mold box and movable from a position in registry with the mold box to a position rearwardly thereof, a pallet in the mold box, arm means below the pallet, a stripper lever of substantially bell-crank formation pivoted to the frame, and including a manually operable portion and a portion for engaging said arm means below the pallet, and a control lever medially pivoted to the frame below the point of pivotal connection of said bell-crank lever therewith, said control lever having one end adapted for receiving foot pressure and the other end adapted to engage the portion of the bell-crank lever which engages said arm means, whereby when the control lever is depressed the bell-crank lever will move through the initial portion of its stroke to lift the pallet and the block so that the upper portion of the latter is projected into the mouth of the hopper, and the latter upon rearward movement out of registry with the mold box will cut off the upper portion of the block prior to manual manipulation of the bell-crank lever to completely lift the block from the mold box.

ALLEN KISSAM.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gregg Aug. 5, 1851 Number 

